Piece
Unknown Artist
17th century
Medium
Silk / Compound weave
Dimensions
1 5/8 × 5 7/8 in. (4.1 × 14.9 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Kihei Hattori, in memory of his father, Kihei Hattori, 1920
Accession Number
20.148.774
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate silk fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from 17th-century Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868), a time of relative peace and flourishing craftsmanship. Woven in a compound weave technique, it measures just 1 5/8 × 5 7/8 inches, suggesting is a surviving snippet from a larger garment, such as a kosode (early kimono precursor) or accessory. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1920 by Kihei Hattori in memory his father, it exemplifies the exquisite textiles produced in weaving centers like Nishijin in Kyoto. The compound weave method is a marvel of technical sophistica...